Key player(s): Solomon Hill was a key player on the Wildcats' Elite Eight team two seasons ago and is now one of the best seniors in the nation and a Pac-12 player of the year candidate.

Rumble with the Buffs: Jan. 3 in Tucson and Feb. 14 in Boulder.

Marquee nonconference game(s): Dec. 15 vs. No. 10 Florida.

Outlook: The Wildcats, a team that blends a battle-tested core with the country's No. 1 recruiting class, are the preseason favorites to win the conference.

Coach speak: "I don't know if anybody in this conference, maybe even in college basketball, deserves to have a great senior year more than Solomon (Hill). He's paid the price," Miller said.

UCLA Bruins

Coach: Ben Howland, 10th year (208-97)

Last year: 19-14 (11-7), fifth (tied) in the Pac-12

Preseason AP ranking: 13

Key player(s): The Bruins' loaded roster includes potentially dominant big men (David and Travis Wear and Josh Smith) and two of the most highly touted freshmen guards (Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad) in the country.

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Rumble with the Buffs: Jan. 12 in Boulder (CU doesn't travel to Los Angeles this season).

Outlook: The Bears lose Pac-12 player of the year Jorge Gutierrez, but Montgomery has guided the program to a top-four finish in the conference in each of his four seasons in Berkeley.

Coach speak: "We were a little disappointed to be so close last year and have it in our grasp and not be able to sustain it down at the end and win it. I really value conference championships. I know how hard they are," Montgomery on Washington seizing the regular-season crown in March.

Stanford Cardinal

Coach: Johnny Dawkins, fifth year (75-59)

Last year: 26-11 (10-8), seventh in the Pac-12

Preseason AP ranking: Unranked

Key player(s): Aaron Bright and Chasson Randle are one of the best backcourt tandems West of the Mississippi.

Outlook: The jury is out on the Cardinal. Will the team perform like it did in winning the NIT or underachieve during conference play again? The Buffs are certainly happy that Josh Owens graduated.

Coach speak: "Definitely I think the momentum will carry over this year. Towards the end of last year I think guys ... we just knew our roles and we just wanted to play in the postseason," Bright said of Stanford's impressive run to the NIT championship.

Washington Huskies

Coach: Lorenzo Romar, 11th year (219-113)

Last year: 24-11 (14-4), first in the Pac-12

Preseason AP ranking: Unranked

Key player(s): Romar recruits at a high level and has an outstanding backcourt (Abdul Gaddy and C.J. Wilcox) and a standout 7-foot center (Aziz N'Diaye).

Rumble with the Buffs: Jan. 16 in Seattle (the Huskies don't make the trip to Boulder this season).

Outlook: It will be difficult for the Huskies to repeat after losing Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten to the first round of the NBA Draft. Washington still has a dominant home-court advantage.

Coach speak: "I think Hec Edmundson Pavilion was there when Abraham Lincoln was president. It's been there a long time," Romar on Washington's famous home venue.

Colorado Buffaloes

Coach: Tad Boyle, third year (48-26)

Last year: 24-12 (11-7), fifth (tied) in the Pac-12

Preseason AP ranking: Unranked

Key player(s): Andre Roberson is the conference's reigning rebounding king and has also led the Buffs in steals the last two seasons. True freshman Josh Scott will have a major impact in the paint with sophomores Askia Booker and Spencer Dinwiddie expected to take the next step in the backcourt.

Outlook: CU only has one senior but Boyle has assembled one of the most talented rosters in program history. The Buffs should get better each month and will be a tough out at the pac-12 Tournament again.

Coach speak: "It's a great time in our lives to be Colorado Buffaloes ... there's a lot of excitement around our program right now," Boyle said.

Oregon Ducks

Coach: Dana Altman, third year (45-28)

Last year: 24-10 (13-5), second (tied) in the Pac-12

Preseason AP ranking: Unranked

Key player(s): E.J. Singler is the clear-cut leader of the Ducks. The 6-6 senior forward averaged 13.6 points and shot 46.7 percent from the field last season.

Outlook: Altman will have to retool the roster with the loss of Devoe Joseph and the addition of six freshmen. The Ducks might have to settle for the NIT yet again.

Coach speak: "I think a number of the freshmen will progress at different rates throughout the season, but I hope (Dominic Artis and Damvean Dotson) can step up and help us right away," Altman on what newcomers have impressed him during preseason workouts.

Outlook: The loss of Jared Cunningham a year early to the NBA probably makes the talented Beavers a middle-of-the-pack team instead of a true title contender.

Coach speak: "Even without Jared Cunningham I'm pretty excited. He'll be a tough guy to replace, but I'm confident and positive that every single player coming back knows how tough that is and has raised the bar for themselves," Robinson said.

USC Trojans

Coach: Kevin O'Neill, fourth year (41-55)

Last year: 6-26 (1-17), 12th in the Pac-12

Preseason AP ranking: Unranked

Key player(s): The Trojans are counting on three key players -- point guard Jio Fontan, forward Aaron Fuller and center Dedmon Dewayne -- who were lost to injuries during a disastrous 2011-12 campaign.

Rumble with the Buffs: Jan. 10 in Boulder (CU does not travel to Los Angeles this season).

Outlook: The Trojans will be a surprise team in the conference this season and should have a chance to play in the postseason. There are some quality players on a roster that was ravaged by injuries a year ago.

Coach speak: "I think we're a team that is going to play with a chip in its shoulder," O'Neill said.

Washington State

Cougars

Coach: Ken Bone, fourth year (57-46)

Last year: 19-18 (7-11), eighth (tied) in the Pac-12

Preseason AP ranking: Unranked

Key player(s): Brock Motum is one of the best players in the conference. The senior forward averaged 18.0 points last season and could win the scoring title again this season.

Rumble with the Buffs: Jan. 19 at Pullman (the Cougars don't make the trip to Boulder this season).

Outlook: The Sun Devils, like USC, should be moving up the standings this season. Felix and Carson, if nothing else, are going to create a lot more interest in the program.

Coach speak: "I assure you when (Carson) comes out (for the opener), he's going to be wearing a Arizona State shirt and he won't be wearing an 'S' and a cape," Sendek said.

Utah Utes

Coach: Larry Krystkowiak, second year (6-25)

Last year: 6-25 (3-15), 11th in the Pac-12

Preseason AP ranking: Unranked

Key player(s): Jason Washburn (6-10 center) is poised for a strong senior season and Jordan Loveridge (6-6 forward) could be a program-changing freshman for Krystkowiak.

Rumble with the Buffs: Feb. 2 in Salt Lake City and Feb. 21 in Boulder.

Marquee nonconference game(s): Dec. 8 at BYU.

Outlook: The Utes are going to win a lot more games this season due to a weak non-conference schedule. But this program is several years away from competing for the upper half of the Pac-12.

Coach speak: "A lot of people like to ask me, 'Why did you stay?' I believe in Utah, I believe in coach K, I believe that we're heading in the right direction. I like my team this year," Washburn said.

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